A place to discuss, debate, and dig deeper into AP European History at Cheshire Academy
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
European Exploration and Discovery
Which is the more accurate description of the European explorers Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortes, and Francesco Pizarro -- heroic discoverer of new worlds and civilization or perpetrator of genocide against the Amer-Indian populations?
I do think that an answer to this question could be two-sided, but, I believe that explorers like Columbus, Cortes and Pizarro should not be looked back upon as heroes. These explorers did help to shape history- for the good and bad. In fact, none of us would even exist if it weren't for Europeans colonizing in the Americas. New crops and ideas were brought back to Europe for the better, but it also caused what may have been the most devastating genocide in history. Dozens of cultures and groups of people were completely wiped off the face of the earth. What the Europeans did when colonizing was one of the worst events in history. However, I also don't think that it's fair to blame everything on a handful of explorers. Christopher Columbus discovering the New World certainly changed history forever, but the colonization and genocide of the Native Americans cannot be blamed solely on him and other explorers. The governments and societies of Spain, England and other European nations as a whole are to blame for the horrible genocide of Native Americans.
Although these explorers contributed to the expansion of new civilizations, they are not heroes. The explorations done by men like Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortez, and Francesco Pizarro resulted in the genocide of Native Americans and other cultures. Yes, Europe gained more land, but whole populations suffered. Christopher Columbus is seen as a hero- the United States has a holiday dedicated to him- but many people don't know the dark aspect of his explorations. Many were murdered and whole tribes were forced to move.
I agree with you May. Even as little kids, we were taught that Columbus was a great hero, but they never taught us the terrible actions he did, probably because we were too little to understand and it was heavy information to absorb.
Through out the history, people's life was not that important, even more when the people are in the other position. At the time of venture to explore and conquer colonization, the explorers were more caring about the profits of their own country than the lives of colonized people. As the general of enemies' side is a slaughterer, he is also a hero who succeeds lots of plans in his own country. The questions is talking about rather the explorer of new worlds through history are the heroes or the assailant of the massacre of Amer- Indians. The term of 'hero' is fairly for the person who is achieving for the people more widely than a country. Therefore, it doesn't fit for the explorers who were working for the profits of their own country. However, I would rather say that they are the leader of the genocide of Amer- Indians. They have killed a lot of populations of colonized people, and tortured them as slaves. Because the fact what they did, it is hard to say them as heroes of history.
Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortes, and Francesco Pizarro weren't heroes. The Natives were innocent people compared to the Europeans. They were people who were one with nature, who still praised the sun and the moon. They were a sort of version of Adam and Eve. They knew nothing of guns and weapons of steel. They were inferior compared to the knowledge and skills of the Europeans, and to take advantage of these people was inhumane. Because the Natives had never seen a white, blond, bearded, blue-eyed men before, they were astonished by them, and thought they were gods. Herman Cortes was treated like a god for that reason, and Mectezuma, the emperor, gave him gold. By taking advantage of their generosity, Cortes defeated the Aztecs and built over their capitol. This shows that so much beautiful culture was destroyed in the process because the Europeans only had their heart set for gold and the riches. Although this was the Natives' land first, the explorers ignored that fact, and forced them into labor to help gain wealth for the Europeans and to strip them of their resources. Even now in the present time, the presence of the consequences of the explorers are still prominent. Where are the Natives now? There's not a lot of them. Their land is occupied by others who, some, are ancestors of people who almost wiped them out.
Personally, I think that without these men and their discoveries, Europe would not have prospered in the way that it did, however, I strongly believe that the explorers went about the wrong way of colonizing. No matter how grand the discoveries and riches were that came along with finding the New World, it does not cancel out the horrible acts that explorers such as Columbus, Cortez, and Pizarro committed in order to take the land for Europe. It is not common to speak of all the consequences that came to the Native Americans when the explorers discovered them, and I find it refreshing that for once we are bringing light to the subject. The Native Americans were nothing but giving and hospitable to the explorers, especially in Columbus's case and they took advantage of that. In the text it says that the Spanish were able to easily enslave them. Not only is that cruel, but it is just further proof that the Native Americans were not only killed and forced off their land, but they were also practically tortured in the process. Ultimately, I think that the more accurate description of the explorers is the latter one, and that they are offenders in the genocide of the Native American populations in the New World. With that said, I do see all the benefits that came from conquering the land, such as the goods, spices, trade routes, and expansion, but they could have gotten that without the cruelty and mass murder. Also, it should be said that not just the aforementioned explorers are responsible for the decimation of the American Indian populations, they were just played a main role in the larger scheme of things.
Like Gillian said, most people think of this as very on the fence and two sided. It could really go either way. As Bella said, Europe would not have prospered without the discoveries but the acts committed were wrong. In my opinion, these men, although they greatly contributed to many expansions and growth of wealth of Europe, committed terrible acts while in the Americas. The Taino Indians were open and very friendly towards Columbus and his men. They gave him whatever they wanted, and all he could think about was how easily he could enslave them. Also, they went on conquests and destroyed years of culture and architecture without second thought. They caught the Aztecs off guard, while they were being friendly and accepting, the explorers only had gold in mind. They had no intention of trying to learn anything from the Indians, just to take all their worldly possessions. The explorers destroyed civilizations that were prospering and at their peak just to get money. the money may have helped Europe, but the Native Americans were almost completely wiped out and new races and people were all killed and forced to be subordinate to Spanish colonizers because the Europeans thought they were the better than all other people. The explorers were very important in global expansion but the good things they did were completely overshadowed by the horrid and inhumane acts they committed on the Native peoples. That's why the explorers are perpetrators of genocide and not heroes. They did much more damage than hwlp in the Americas.
As most of you have already indicated, this question can be answered in a couple different ways depending on the point of view. It is true that Columbus, Cortes, and Pizarro accomplished what was thought to be impossible. These individuals were able to sail across the ocean and discover uncharted land known as the "New World". With this discovery these explorers were able to provide new land, trade, fame and fortune for their country. These achievements at the time were phenomenal and some people could call these explorers heroes. The definition of hero is as follows, "A person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.". Just based on this definition and nothing else Columbus, Cortes, and Pizarro are heroes. They were all highly admired men for their acts of courage and outstanding achievements. But at what cost did these men become heroes? It is not until we dig deeper or as Bella said "bring light to the subject" that we fully understand the circumstances. With these men's success came the slaughter and the fall of many native civilizations. Along with losing civilizations, the world lost the "histories and enormous social, architectural, and technological achievements. Instead of learning and accepting the natives culture and way of life, European explorers like Columbus completely obliterated it. In my opinion the dreadful acts of the European explorers heavily outweighs their accomplishments made. Millions upon millions of Natives suffered. For what? Land, fame, and fortune. This leads me to believe that the explorers were in fact perpetrators of genocide. Although I believe that the explorers were not heroes, based upon definition and point of view, European explorers such as Columbus, Cortes, and Pizarro can be thought of to be heroic discoverers of new worlds and civilization.
The European explorers Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortes, and Francesco Pizarro are perpetrators of genocide against the Amer-Indian populations. Christopher Columbus was a mercenary on a quest mainly for gold, spices, and slaves. On October 12, 1492 Columbus landed in San Salvador in the eastern Bahamas. When he arrived there he met Taino Indians who were extremely generous and gave Columbus and his men all the corn, yams, and sexual flavors they desired. Columbus took advantage of their generosity. He enslaved the Indians and conquered over their land. In 1519, Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico with about five hundred men and a few horses. He met an Aztec emperor named Moctezuma II who believed that Cortes was the god Quetzalcoatl and the emperor appeased Hernan Cortes with gold. Hernan Cortes forged alliances with the Aztecs’ enemy state called Tlaxcala. Then, Hernan Cortes and the Spaniards fought against the Aztecs and the Spaniards won the battle. After that, Hernan Cortes built his own capital over Tenochtitlan ruins and proclaimed the Aztec Empire to be New Spain. In 1532, Francisco Pizarro landed on the west coast of South America with about two hundred men to take on the Inca Empire. Francisco Pizarro and his army killed the Incas mercilessly and took over the Inca Empire. Overall, these European explorers were not heroic and to me they seem like merciless invaders that wanted to kill innocent Indians for wealth and growth in power. Instead of forming alliances with the Indians, asking for the material they want generously from the Indians, and learning about their culture and language, Europeans decided that violence was the only way to conquer a lot of land and to become wealthy.
I do think that an answer to this question could be two-sided, but, I believe that explorers like Columbus, Cortes and Pizarro should not be looked back upon as heroes. These explorers did help to shape history- for the good and bad. In fact, none of us would even exist if it weren't for Europeans colonizing in the Americas. New crops and ideas were brought back to Europe for the better, but it also caused what may have been the most devastating genocide in history. Dozens of cultures and groups of people were completely wiped off the face of the earth. What the Europeans did when colonizing was one of the worst events in history.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I also don't think that it's fair to blame everything on a handful of explorers. Christopher Columbus discovering the New World certainly changed history forever, but the colonization and genocide of the Native Americans cannot be blamed solely on him and other explorers. The governments and societies of Spain, England and other European nations as a whole are to blame for the horrible genocide of Native Americans.
Although these explorers contributed to the expansion of new civilizations, they are not heroes. The explorations done by men like Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortez, and Francesco Pizarro resulted in the genocide of Native Americans and other cultures. Yes, Europe gained more land, but whole populations suffered. Christopher Columbus is seen as a hero- the United States has a holiday dedicated to him- but many people don't know the dark aspect of his explorations. Many were murdered and whole tribes were forced to move.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you May. Even as little kids, we were taught that Columbus was a great hero, but they never taught us the terrible actions he did, probably because we were too little to understand and it was heavy information to absorb.
DeleteThrough out the history, people's life was not that important, even more when the people are in the other position. At the time of venture to explore and conquer colonization, the explorers were more caring about the profits of their own country than the lives of colonized people. As the general of enemies' side is a slaughterer, he is also a hero who succeeds lots of plans in his own country.
ReplyDeleteThe questions is talking about rather the explorer of new worlds through history are the heroes or the assailant of the massacre of Amer- Indians. The term of 'hero' is fairly for the person who is achieving for the people more widely than a country. Therefore, it doesn't fit for the explorers who were working for the profits of their own country. However, I would rather say that they are the leader of the genocide of Amer- Indians. They have killed a lot of populations of colonized people, and tortured them as slaves. Because the fact what they did, it is hard to say them as heroes of history.
Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortes, and Francesco Pizarro weren't heroes. The Natives were innocent people compared to the Europeans. They were people who were one with nature, who still praised the sun and the moon. They were a sort of version of Adam and Eve. They knew nothing of guns and weapons of steel. They were inferior compared to the knowledge and skills of the Europeans, and to take advantage of these people was inhumane.
ReplyDeleteBecause the Natives had never seen a white, blond, bearded, blue-eyed men before, they were astonished by them, and thought they were gods. Herman Cortes was treated like a god for that reason, and Mectezuma, the emperor, gave him gold. By taking advantage of their generosity, Cortes defeated the Aztecs and built over their capitol.
This shows that so much beautiful culture was destroyed in the process because the Europeans only had their heart set for gold and the riches.
Although this was the Natives' land first, the explorers ignored that fact, and forced them into labor to help gain wealth for the Europeans and to strip them of their resources.
Even now in the present time, the presence of the consequences of the explorers are still prominent. Where are the Natives now? There's not a lot of them. Their land is occupied by others who, some, are ancestors of people who almost wiped them out.
Personally, I think that without these men and their discoveries, Europe would not have prospered in the way that it did, however, I strongly believe that the explorers went about the wrong way of colonizing. No matter how grand the discoveries and riches were that came along with finding the New World, it does not cancel out the horrible acts that explorers such as Columbus, Cortez, and Pizarro committed in order to take the land for Europe. It is not common to speak of all the consequences that came to the Native Americans when the explorers discovered them, and I find it refreshing that for once we are bringing light to the subject. The Native Americans were nothing but giving and hospitable to the explorers, especially in Columbus's case and they took advantage of that. In the text it says that the Spanish were able to easily enslave them. Not only is that cruel, but it is just further proof that the Native Americans were not only killed and forced off their land, but they were also practically tortured in the process. Ultimately, I think that the more accurate description of the explorers is the latter one, and that they are offenders in the genocide of the Native American populations in the New World. With that said, I do see all the benefits that came from conquering the land, such as the goods, spices, trade routes, and expansion, but they could have gotten that without the cruelty and mass murder. Also, it should be said that not just the aforementioned explorers are responsible for the decimation of the American Indian populations, they were just played a main role in the larger scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteLike Gillian said, most people think of this as very on the fence and two sided. It could really go either way. As Bella said, Europe would not have prospered without the discoveries but the acts committed were wrong. In my opinion, these men, although they greatly contributed to many expansions and growth of wealth of Europe, committed terrible acts while in the Americas. The Taino Indians were open and very friendly towards Columbus and his men. They gave him whatever they wanted, and all he could think about was how easily he could enslave them. Also, they went on conquests and destroyed years of culture and architecture without second thought. They caught the Aztecs off guard, while they were being friendly and accepting, the explorers only had gold in mind. They had no intention of trying to learn anything from the Indians, just to take all their worldly possessions. The explorers destroyed civilizations that were prospering and at their peak just to get money. the money may have helped Europe, but the Native Americans were almost completely wiped out and new races and people were all killed and forced to be subordinate to Spanish colonizers because the Europeans thought they were the better than all other people. The explorers were very important in global expansion but the good things they did were completely overshadowed by the horrid and inhumane acts they committed on the Native peoples. That's why the explorers are perpetrators of genocide and not heroes. They did much more damage than hwlp in the Americas.
ReplyDeleteAs most of you have already indicated, this question can be answered in a couple different ways depending on the point of view. It is true that Columbus, Cortes, and Pizarro accomplished what was thought to be impossible. These individuals were able to sail across the ocean and discover uncharted land known as the "New World". With this discovery these explorers were able to provide new land, trade, fame and fortune for their country. These achievements at the time were phenomenal and some people could call these explorers heroes. The definition of hero is as follows, "A person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.". Just based on this definition and nothing else Columbus, Cortes, and Pizarro are heroes. They were all highly admired men for their acts of courage and outstanding achievements. But at what cost did these men become heroes? It is not until we dig deeper or as Bella said "bring light to the subject" that we fully understand the circumstances. With these men's success came the slaughter and the fall of many native civilizations. Along with losing civilizations, the world lost the "histories and enormous social, architectural, and technological achievements. Instead of learning and accepting the natives culture and way of life, European explorers like Columbus completely obliterated it. In my opinion the dreadful acts of the European explorers heavily outweighs their accomplishments made. Millions upon millions of Natives suffered. For what? Land, fame, and fortune. This leads me to believe that the explorers were in fact perpetrators of genocide. Although I believe that the explorers were not heroes, based upon definition and point of view, European explorers such as Columbus, Cortes, and Pizarro can be thought of to be heroic discoverers of new worlds and civilization.
ReplyDeleteThe European explorers Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortes, and Francesco Pizarro are perpetrators of genocide against the Amer-Indian populations. Christopher Columbus was a mercenary on a quest mainly for gold, spices, and slaves. On October 12, 1492 Columbus landed in San Salvador in the eastern Bahamas. When he arrived there he met Taino Indians who were extremely generous and gave Columbus and his men all the corn, yams, and sexual flavors they desired. Columbus took advantage of their generosity. He enslaved the Indians and conquered over their land. In 1519, Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico with about five hundred men and a few horses. He met an Aztec emperor named Moctezuma II who believed that Cortes was the god Quetzalcoatl and the emperor appeased Hernan Cortes with gold. Hernan Cortes forged alliances with the Aztecs’ enemy state called Tlaxcala. Then, Hernan Cortes and the Spaniards fought against the Aztecs and the Spaniards won the battle. After that, Hernan Cortes built his own capital over Tenochtitlan ruins and proclaimed the Aztec Empire to be New Spain. In 1532, Francisco Pizarro landed on the west coast of South America with about two hundred men to take on the Inca Empire. Francisco Pizarro and his army killed the Incas mercilessly and took over the Inca Empire. Overall, these European explorers were not heroic and to me they seem like merciless invaders that wanted to kill innocent Indians for wealth and growth in power. Instead of forming alliances with the Indians, asking for the material they want generously from the Indians, and learning about their culture and language, Europeans decided that violence was the only way to conquer a lot of land and to become wealthy.
ReplyDelete